Running For Mayor

And telling you why

I filed for re-election as mayor today. I will run a vigorous campaign that takes nothing for granted.

Regular readers of this blog already know a great deal about me  certainly more than you know about any challengers. That was the plan when I started to write here several years ago.

I love the City and its neighborhoods. St. Louis is a city whose vast diversity — middle-class and poor; old and young; educated and unprepared; black, white, Asian, Hispanic; long-time residents and new residents — creates plenty of challenges in these tough economic times. But, this same diversity is also going to be our strength. Working together, we have enough talent and ideas to keep building up our city. Not everyone is going to agree with me on the speed or the driver, but I am certain that most St. Louisans are against going backwards.

Over the next several months, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss plans for the next four years.

However, you should know that I do not intend to wait for any election to do the things that St. Louisans need right now, among them: Keeping jobs in the city and doing the things necessary to create or attract new ones; identifying and encouraging the best practices in public and private education to ensure that parents have great choices for their children; and keeping police officers, firefighters, and other city employees on the job with the tools they need to provide the highest levels of municipal services.